DR Congo falls to Colombia as knockout hopes take a hit

Abayomi Ademola

Daniel Muñoz scored the decisive goal as the Democratic Republic of Congo suffered a 1-0 defeat to Colombia in Guadalajara, leaving their World Cup qualification hopes at stake.

Backed by a passionate crowd, Colombia dominated much of the match and created several clear chances before finally breaking the deadlock in the 76th minute. Juan Fernando Quintero slipped a clever pass into the path of Muñoz, whose left-footed shot deflected off a defender and off goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi on its way to the net.

The Crystal Palace full-back had threatened throughout the match and came close on multiple occasions in the first half, while Luis Díaz and Jhon Arias also missed good opportunities as Colombia put pressure on the DR Congo defence.

Despite late pressure from the Congolese team, Colombia held firm to secure a second consecutive victory and book their place in the round of 32 as leaders of Group K.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo remain third in the group and must now beat Uzbekistan in their final group match to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stage alive.